Study finds risk for benign prostatic hyperplasia increases for patients with gout

Patients with gout, especially those younger than 60 years, have an increased risk for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), according to a study published online Dec. 26 in Diagnostics.

Woo Jin Bang, from the Hallym University College of Medicine in Anyang, South Korea, and colleagues retrieved data from 514,866 Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohorts from 2002 to 2019 to examine the risk for BPH in patients with gout. Data were analyzed for 14,961 gout patients and 58,764 matched controls.

The researchers found that the incidence of BPH was 23.40 and 20.70 percent in gout and control participants, respectively. The hazard ratio for BPH was 1.13-fold higher for gout versus control patients, in the adjusted model.

Among gout patients, those aged younger than 60 years had a higher hazard ratio for BPH compared with the age group 60 years and older (1.19 versus 1.07). A consistent risk for gout was seen according to various comorbidities.

"The elevated risk of BPH in gout patients was independent of lifestyle factors and comorbid conditions," the authors write. "Clinicians may need to consider the potentially increased risk of BPH when managing patients with gout and the need for early monitoring or intervention."